The Surf of Praia do Norte, Nazaré

They say that Nazaré is the ocean’s Everest
with waves so tall us humans, cannot comprehend
When the big ones roll in, the global surfers descend
attempting to tame this beast again, again, and again

Once a sleepy fishing village on the coast of Portugal
the surfing paradise of Nazaré is now quite legendary
Home of 100 foot waves – the largest ever recorded,
just sticking a foot in the water is an act of bravery

There’s an old fort with a lighthouse, it defines the point,
that tends to split the surf with smaller waves going south
The north side gets the big ones, with inbound unencumbered,
undiscovered for many years, news was spread by word of mouth

The largest under water canyon of Europe ends at Nazaré
it is responsible for the tallest waves ever reported
This ocean trench off shore, contains no obstacles,
forcing ocean swells so high they appear distorted

Veado now stands watch over Praia do Norte
a surfer with a deer head he’s there for all to see
If you ever find yourself on the west coast of Portugal
be sure to visit Nazaré and say hello to Veado for me

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Nazaré is located on the west coast of Portugal, about 80 miles north of Lisbon and 130 miles south of Porto. This view is from the apartment we were staying in, looking to the south over the village and the southern “calm” beach.

This was taken on the north beach (Praia do Norte), the surfer’s beach. This is where the 100-foot waves have been recorded, although the surf was relatively tame this particular day with a wave height of only about 15 feet.

Sunset from the “point” separating the north beach from the south beach, which contains an old fort with a lighthouse. If you search Nazaré waves images, you will see many of the monster waves with spectators atop the lighthouse fort.

This is Veado, the monument to Nazaré of a surfer with a deer’s head. You can learn more about Veado here.

The sign welcoming you “to the biggest waves in the world”. You can see Veado in the lower center of the picture.

A short (9 seconds) video that attempts to capture the waves. However, it is one of those “you have to be there” experiences to truly appreciate it. Here is more video and a story by 60 Minutes.

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Image credit: All images and videos by Ron Rowland, taken October 7, 2021 at Nazaré, Portugal

Linked to Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie: Photo Challenge #389.